Glossary

Integrated marketing and branding terms:

Integrated Marketing Communications
Integrated Marketing Communications is “a planning process designed to assure that all brand contacts received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organization are relevant to that person and consistent over time.” [American Marketing Association]
Brand
A brand is a collection of experiences and associations connected with a service, a person or any other entity. People engaged in branding seek to develop or align the expectations behind the brand experience, creating the impression that a brand associated with a product or service has certain qualities or characteristics that make it special or unique. A brand is therefore one of the most valuable elements in an advertising theme, as it demonstrates what the brand owner is able to offer in the marketplace. The art of creating and maintaining a brand is called brand management. [Wikipedia]
Brand statement
Brand platform
A brand statement or brand platform is a summary that draws from research knowledge to create a synopsis of everything that an organization stands for and offers that is of value to its constituents or customers. Brand statements are meant to be a resource for helping to frame and create communications; they are too internally focused to be presented in verbatim form to external audiences. [UC Davis]
Graphic identity
Identity system
A graphic identity or identity system includes the images an organization presents to the public through logos, typefaces, colors and other graphic elements that appear repetitively in visual communications. A consistent presentation of graphic identity increases brand clarity and recognition. [UC Davis]
Logo
A logo is the image embodying an organization. Because logos are meant to represent organization brands or corporate identities and foster their immediate customer recognition, it is counterproductive to frequently redesign logos or to have numerous logos within an organization. [Wikipedia/UC Davis]
Wordmark
A wordmark, subset of the term logotype or logo, is a standardized typographical representation of the name of a company, institution, or product used for purposes of identification and branding. A wordmark is usually a distinct text-only typographic treatment such as can be found in the graphic identities of FedEx, Google and UC Davis. [Wikipedia, UC Davis]
Identity line
Tagline
An identity line or tagline is a short phrase used in marketing campaigns and product packaging that defines and differentiates the organization to target audiences. [UC Davis]
Logo signature
At UC Davis, a logo signature combines the UC Davis wordmark with the name of a campus unit in a uniform manner. It is used to visually identify an organizational unit with the greater brand. [UC Davis]

File format terms:

Pixel
As you enlarge a pixel-based (sometimes called bitmapped) image, the resolution decreases:
  • 100% 300 DPI = 300 DPI
  • 200% 300 DPI = 150 DPI
  • 300% 300 DPI = 100 DPI
DPI: (Dots per inch—can also be referred to as PPI, pixels per inch)
DPI refers to the physical dot density of an image printed onto paper or some other surface, or displayed on a monitor. 300 DPI is the recommended dot density for images prepared for offset printing on paper, and 72 PPI is the dot density of a computer monitor image. [Wikipedia, UC Davis]
Vector
With a vector-based image, all shapes are determined by mathematical calculations, so no matter how you enlarge or reduce a vector image, its resolution is determined by the highest resolution available to the printer or the resolution of the screen on which it is viewed. That is to say, it does not become “jaggy” when enlarged. Type generated in Illustrator and all layout software, and most images generated in Illustrator are vector based. [UC Davis]
GIF: (Graphical Interchange Format)
A pixel-based format using no more than 256 colors used primarily for Web graphics with areas of flat color [UC Davis]
EPS: (Encapsulated PostScript)
A scalable vector format used mostly for print applications [UC Davis]
PNG: (Portable Network Graphic)
A pixel-based format designed specifically for Microsoft applications such as Word and Powerpoint [UC Davis]

Color space terms:

RGB
Red, Green and Blue mix to create all the colors you see on screen. Televisions and computer monitors function in this color space. RGB color is additive: All the colors added together at full value (100 percent) produce what we see as white light. Use RGB color only for files to be viewed on a monitor or projector. [UC Davis]
Diagram showing RGB color
CMYK
Cyan (blue), Magenta (nearly fuchsia), Yellow and Black. These ink colors mix to make the colors you see in full-color printing. CMYK is sometimes referred to as “four color” or “process color,” and is said to be subtractive: When full-spectrum light shines on printed ink, some wavelengths of light are absorbed (or “subtracted”) and others are reflected to make the color. Because CMYK colors are pigment-based, adding pigment makes the color darker. Adding all four colors together at full value produces a dense black. For this reason, RGB and CMYK colors have different color ranges, or gamuts. A color that is achievable in RGB may be impossible to reproduce in CMYK, and vice-versa. Use CMYK for files to be printed on a press. [UC Davis]
Diagram showing CMYK color
PMS: (Pantone Matching System, also referred to as spot color)
Each spot color of ink is pre-mixed to a formula for consistency. Most often used for corporate colors, or in 1- and 2-color printing where specific colors are chosen. Each swatch formula refers to the formula for mixing that ink color. PMS colors are made by combining a few standard colors of ink to make literally thousands of colors. Using the Pantone system, any printer can create inks that will match to a high degree of accuracy. [UC Davis]